Five times Sokka saw
by Holly Short of the Lep recon
Summary: Five time fic, prompt for porn battle on LJ, sokka/zuko, pain. only kissing guys, as my yoai skills aren't up to publishing quality just yet. may do one for sokka, not sure yet.


Five times…

Sokka/Zuko

Prompt: pain

The first time that Sokka ever saw Zuko in pain was when they were gathered around the fire, oddly enough.

Aang was practicing his fire bending, and attempting to woo Katara. Luckily for Aang, Sokka was too hungry to notice that bit, or bad things would have been in order for the young air bender. Aang was attempting to light the fire, but was still not quite sure about how to aim the stream of flame which poured from his fingertips, and was hesitant about hurting anyone, again.

Zuko, getting impatient, blasted the wood, making Aang jump, and Katara glare. Sokka had been watching his face at that moment, and saw the minute flicker of a wince that the fire bender allowed to pass through his macho mask.

Making a note to ask him about it later, Sokka kept eating. Later never did end up coming, as the next night, they went to save Sokka's father, and the incident was pushed out of his mind.

The next time was when they were running down the slope of the volcano that made up Boiling Rock. Zuko slipped, and fell a few steps down the steep slope. He dusted himself off immediately, and continued going, still at his former pace.

It wasn't until the party made it to Azula's air ship that Sokka even noticed that something was wrong with Zuko's leg.

(He had caught sight of it out of the corner of his eye, and thought that it was part of the crimson fabric for a moment, but no, it was his leg, all torn and bloody, from where he had fallen.)

As soon as Zuko had known that they were safe, he had collapsed into a chair, and grimaced, when he though no one was looking. Once Zuko realized that he was not as alone as he thought, he had struggled to mask his pain.

Sokka had scoffed, and knelt down to examine his "patient" as it were. Asking if Zuko was okay was most certainly out of the question, so intercepting the questions that Sokka knew the other boy would ask, he clamped his mouth over Zuko's and held on.

(They would both deny this from ever happening, once back at the camp, but Toph would still get that grin when they were "interrogated" about it.)

Once they got back, Katara healed the wound, effortlessly. Of course she was still not pleased about this turn of events, and grumbled endlessly about stupid fire bender, and not watching where one was going.

And things went back to as normal as they could have been without anyone asking any odd questions.

The third time it happened, was when Sokka was getting ready to spar with Zuko.

The ex-prince had been practicing with the Avatar in the morning, and Aang had gotten a "lucky shot" in, as Zuko insisted on putting it.

Sokka had looked around, making sure no one was there. _Yep, no one here_. He thought, as he closed the distance toward the Zuko.

Zuko gasped as he felt Sokka's hand graze his hurt shoulder. The Avatar had gotten lucky. That was his story, and that was what he was going to stick with. He shuddered as he felt the water tribe boy's lips on the side of his arm, slowly kissing a trail of soothing warmth up his arm, to where the burn lingered. Sure, he could have just gotten Katara to heal it, but he didn't approve of taking the easy way out. And, anyway…he had Sokka.

Turning around, he captured Sokka's head in his hand, and brought it up to his mouth. Kissing the boy, Zuko forgot all about the burn. The only thing that mattered was Sokka. Wonderful, wonderful Sokka.

Footsteps pattered down the path to the outdoor area where the boys were standing. They sprang apart, blushing, as Toph came down the stairs, blushing like school girls.

Toph just grinned, and kept walking, saying to the two of them once she was past them. "Keep going, I don't care. Just be careful sparky, I'm not sure that snoozle's sister will approve."

The two of them stood there, awestruck at the small earth bender as she continued to walk to the beach.

The fourth time, Zuko was washing out his shirt the day before the invasion.

For whatever reason, he winced each time he wrung out his shirt. Kneeling beside the other boy, Sokka gently asked why. Looking up at Sokka, Zuko blinked, not quite understanding what he was asking, until Sokka motioned to the shirt that was currently clenched in his hands. He had replied that it was rubbing against his hands, and pinching them. In other words nothing really.

Sokka had smiled, and dunked Zuko's head in the water. They were not seen until the end of the day.

The fifth time, was right after Zuko had been shot by lighting.

Katara was still crying a bit, and letting Zuko lean on her, more like she was supporting him, then he was standing under his own power.

Sokka ran to Zuko, and after making sure that he wasn't going to make the wound worse, he grabbed him in a giant hug, making sure that he conveyed all the worry, and love that he could with that one gesture. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to have to fight Katara like that. They stayed like that for a few more moments, until Zuko started to sink down into Sokka's chest.

Looking down at his boyfriend, Sokka saw that he had fallen asleep. Or was unconscious. He wouldn't blame him for the second one. Fighting Azula had to be like running head long into a steel wall. For hours. Trying to break though.

Sighing, he gave the now sleeping teen back to Katara, who looked at him with sympathy. They hoisted him on Appa's large back, with help from Aang.

Later, when he aked, they said that he had simply fallen asleep, and had suffered from "burnout" as Iroh had put it.

The one time the Zuko saw Sokka show pain, oddly enough, was when they were talking about family. They were the only two still awake in the camp, everyone else was asleep. When he asked why Sokka looked so hurt, he had smiled, and taken Zuko's hand in his, and kissed him on the cheek, whispering that he couldn't imagine having to fight his only sister, and how horrible such a thing would be. Zuko had to agree.

After Sokka had pulled away, he smiled, and kissed away the tears that had settled on the other boy's cheeks. They ended up in the bushes that surrounded the camp that night.


End file.
